Department of Children and Family Services aims to better prepare next generation of social workers

Trainer Beth Minor, far left, looks on as LA County social worker Angela Poole participates in a mock home visit in the simulation lab at CalState LA on Feb. 14, 2014. The L.A. County Department of Children and Family Services is changing the way it provides services to the county's most vulnerable. It's not only increasing staff so that social workers have more time to spend with their wards, but also overhauling their training. Social workers must now undergo 52 weeks of training, including mock situations in this simulation lab at the university. (Photo by Andy Holzman/Los Angeles Daily News)

Family therapist intern Zara Miduryan shows her I.D. while participating in a mock home visit in the simulation lab at CalState LA February 14, 2014. The county Department of Children and Family Services is changing the way it provides services to the county's most vulnerable. It's not only increasing staff so that social workers have more time to spend with their wards, but also overhauling their training. Social workers must now undergo 52 weeks of training, including mock situations in this simulation lab at the university.(Andy Holzman/Los Angeles Daily News)

Entering a home where a father may have broken his baby’s arm in a drunken rage, the rookie social workers tried to soften the family’s guarded apprehension — albeit not always successfully.

“I’m with the Department of Family and Children’s Services,” one nervously told the sullen man who opened the door, even incorrectly stating the name of their agency.

Another rookie sat hesitantly on a couch in a cluttered living and dining room, not noticing the scissors on a coffee table, which could have been used as a weapon had tensions escalated.

Fortunately, no one was in real danger.

The “home” is a simulation laboratory where trainers from the county’s Department of Children and Family Services can collaborate with teachers from various universities as well as law enforcement and legal consultants to help the next generation of social workers.

“It’s OK to make mistakes here,” academy instructor Beth Minor told a class, standing next to a prop refrigerator with a whisky bottle and flyer for Alcoholics Anonymous.

“When you go out in the field and it counts, we want you to take the lessons that you learned here, and apply them.”

The brutal killing of Gabriel Fernandez last May in Palmdale underscored the need for better care from the department. The eight-year-old boy was tortured to death, allegedly by his mother’s boyfriend, after social workers dismissed previous reports of beatings as “unfounded.” The boy suffered a fractured skull, broken ribs, bruises and cigarette burns on his skin, teeth knocked out of his mouth, and BB pellets were found in his lung and groin.

DCFS Director Philip Browning had been preparing to implement sweeping reforms when the tragedy struck. By August, Browning had initiated a plan to hire 450 social workers — bringing the total to 1,450 — and overhaul training to better serve the 35,000 children who are wards of the department.

“In the past, we just had an eight-week classroom, PowerPoint sort of thing,” Browning said. “But we know we can’t just take someone out of the schools of social work, give them a PowerPoint presentation, and expect them to do a good job.”

Simulation lab

The department requires social workers to have a master’s degree and undergo 52 weeks of training.

Cal State Los Angeles agreed to build a 440-square-foot residential simulation laboratory with a facade, living and dining room adjacent to the kitchen, bedroom, bathroom and hallway closet for about $17,000. University officials also allowed trainers to use a second simulation lab, resembling a hospital room, that was built years ago for medical courses.

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“The simulation is the cornerstone of the new training,” said Harkmore Lee, director of Cal State Los Angeles’ Child Welfare Training Center and a former social worker. “This is where their learning becomes concrete, and also where we can assess whether they’re getting it or not.”

Research has shown that people typically retain from 5 percent to 10 percent of what they learn through reading and lectures, and 80 percent to 90 percent of what they practice in simulation, said James Ferreira, Cal State Long Beach’s Child Welfare Training Center director.

During a recent training simulation, sheriff’s Deputy Warren Ondatje played the role of the abusive father. He tried to intimidate the rookie social workers by standing too close, responding brusquely to questions and even trying to slam the door in their faces or to drag them roughly forward by their lanyards. His mission was to emphasize the need to stay safe and be prepared for anything.

“The personality of a possible abuser is going to change,” Ondatje said. “They could be very cooperative and charming and good, and then — all of a sudden — act like someone who’s being backed into a corner.”

Sheriff’s Deputy Troy Jackson put on scrubs to portray a nurse who alerted the DCFS to a suspicious injury suffered by a baby brought to the emergency room. Interviewed by a rookie social worker, he responded that the baby was “crying so hysterically that we actually had to sedate her” and that the father’s breath reeked of alcohol.

During the debriefing, Jackson said the questions should have been more probing.

“(The social worker) didn’t really ask me about the baby’s fracture, like ‘What kind of fracture is it? How could a baby get it? Could her eight-year old sister really have done it, as their father claimed?’ ”

“It’s a key training point that should sink in,” Jackson said. “After this lesson, they’ll realize, ‘I should have asked that, I should have done this, I need to ask more questions.’ ”

DCFS attorney Tammy Pruitt acted as the distraught mother and seemed on the verge of tears when interviewed by the rookie social workers, wringing her hands and occasionally raising her voice in panic.

“I try to provide some realism, without being too over the top,” Pruitt said with a smile, adding she mimics behaviors observed over years of working as a trial lawyer in child abuse and neglect cases.

“The (rookie social workers) will get instructed on policy ad nauseam when they go to the academy,” Pruitt said.

“We’re trying to provide the legal perspective — how to do their jobs lawfully so that parents and children’s rights are respected.”

Angela Poole of Sylmar, who became a social worker only two weeks ago, appreciated the comprehensive coaching.

“I feel so prepared,” Poole said. “They cover every facet of what I would be required to do when I go to a home to protect a child.”

Amanda Townsend of Los Angeles, also a newbie, noted the training emphasized partnering with families.

“This is teaching us to put biases aside and really try to work with the families and gather the facts,” Townsend said. “I think, as long as you do that, it puts you in a better position to help people.”